Dehradun: Hectic lobbying is going on within Uttarakhand BJP for the post of Pradesh party chief with the tenure of its current president Bishan Singh Chufal having come to an end last month.

About a dozen names are doing the rounds as contenders for the post but former MLA Trivendra Singh Rawat and ex MLC Tirath Singh Rawat have emerged as front-runners in the race, a senior party leader requesting anonymity said.

While Tirath Singh Rawat who comes from Sangh background vhas the backing of former chief minister Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri, Trivendra Singh Rawat has the support of another party stalwart and former CM Bhagat Singh Koshiyari.

The party's central leadership is in constant touch with the state party leaders and considering at least half a dozen names which could provide strong leadership to the party in the state in view of the forthcoming civic body polls next year and the 2014 general elections, party insiders said.

However, when asked whose chances the brightest among the names are doing the rounds, a highly placed party source said whoever manages to get the support of the three former BJP chief ministers of the state i.e. Khanduri, Koshiyari and Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank will finally emerge as the next chief of the Pradesh unit.

The three former BJP CMs are looked upon as three pillars of the party and the next chief of the Pradesh unit who has to pilot the party in the next general elections must have their unstinted support, party sources said.

While Khanduri and Koshiyari have put forward their choices for consideration before the party's central leadership, Nishank still holds his cards close to his chest, they said.

The central leadership will try to build a consensus among the three former party CMs before putting the final seal of approval on one candidate.

Though hectic parleys are on between state BJP leaders and central leadership with the latest having taken place at a city hotel a couple of days back with party national general secretaries Ramlal Agrawal and Saudan Singh, a consensus candidate for the post is yet to emerge.

However, the process is all set to be over by January 14, a party source said.

Election of the state party chief was put off twice recently, once due to the death of senior party leaders and former CM Nityanand Swami and a second time owing to Gujarat CM Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday which is going to keep the party's central leaders preoccupied.